Dante closed the door. They stood there for a minute or two, both of them lost in thought.
“I hated being in there. I know you had to put me there, but last night was awful.”
She spoke softly, staring at the door to the safe room.
Dante nodded.
Laurie played with the sleeve of his shirt, and then placed her hands on his chest. She looked up into his eyes.
“Thank you for protecting me,” she said, her voice quivering. “I know it’s your job, but you risked your life for me. It would have been awful if…”
She choked up.
He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her flush against him. He didn’t tell her he would have done anything to protect her. He ran his hands up and down her back, kissing her forehead.
Laurie looked up at him again, her sapphire eyes glazed with tears.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you.”
Half hypnotized by her eyes, half wanting to comfort, Dante reacted out of instinct. He bent his head down and kissed her gently.
Laurie gasped when his lips whispered over hers. Then she melted against him as his lips settled there.
Dante thought of nothing except how good it felt to kiss her, the rush of pure pleasure it brought him. He deepened the kiss, one of his hands wandering into her hair while the other pressed against the small of her back.
He was dizzy and breathless when he pulled away. A tingling sensation crept down his spine. He felt a flush of heat wash over him. When he kissed her again, she kissed back hungrily, parting her lips and letting his tongue play with hers. She ran her hands up his chest, interlacing her fingers behind his neck. After a few minutes of enjoying each other’s tongues, they parted so Dante could kiss a trail down her jaw line.
Dante kissed Laurie’s neck, running his tongue in slow circles over her skin. He could feel her rapid heartbeat beneath his lips, and he smiled. When he sucked at the base of her neck, Laurie let out a small moan of pleasure. Then he kissed her mouth again, long and deep. The hand that pressed the small of her back sank lower to squeeze her soft flesh.
Dante nibbled and sucked his way along her neckline again. Laurie gasped when he hit a soft spot next to her clavicle. He stayed there for a while, teasing her until she trembled. Desire settled in the pit of his stomach. He wanted more, much more.
Laurie started kissing his neck, and when she began nibbling on his ear, he groaned at her. She kept at it for a while, until he broke away from her neck to kiss her more insistently.
Dante started backing Laurie toward the bed. He needed her so much he trembled. When they got to the bed, Dante wrapped his arm around her waist. He lowered her to the mattress while kissing her breathless. He pressed his desire up against her inner thigh. They laid there, licking and kissing each other, until Laurie grew impatient. She tugged his shirt up. When she finally got it off him, Dante gathered up the last bit of his good sense and placed his hand on her stomach.
“Wait, wait.” He locked eyes with her. “I don’t know if we should really do this.”
Laurie reached up, placing her hands on his shoulders.
“Please,” she said. “Please.”
Her eyes were full of passion and need. Her grip on his shoulders was insistent, painfully tense. The simple plea broke the rest of Dante’s strength. He lowered himself to her again.
They made love to each other like they were starving. They pulled off clothing, stripping each other naked in minutes. Their hands were everywhere, touching, caressing, squeezing. Their mouths elicited moans from each other. When Dante sank hard into her soft flesh, they both took up a fast rhythm, chasing each other into ecstasy. It was hurried and passionate, and it left them dazzled. When it was over, Dante rolled them both so he was on his back. He held her there as their breathing calmed and their heartbeats returned to normal.
As if waking from a dream, Dante realized what he had done. He had slept with a witness. He had hot, passionate sex with a witness. He would lose his job without question. There was no way to hide this with so many other men joining his team. Dante stared at the ceiling.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He gave her a little squeeze.
“I don’t appreciate being lied to, Dante. You became tense just now. I could feel it.”
He winced, looking away. Laurie turned his head toward her with gentle fingers.
“Dante, what’s wrong?” A pained expression crossed her face. “Do you regret that we—”
“No. I just started thinking about what would happen if my boss found out. That’s all. I’m just worried.”
Laurie propped herself up on her elbow. Her hair drifted off her shoulder toward the pillow in a yellow curtain. Her expression was stern.
“He doesn’t have to find out anything. I don’t want you to get in trouble for this Dante—to get in trouble for me.”
“There are going to be other men here, Laurie. It’s going to be hard to keep this a secret.”
She leaned in close to him, bringing her nose inches from his.
“Then we’ll just have to try really hard. I don’t want you to be punished for being with me. I don’t. So whatever you need me to do to protect you from that, then you just need to tell me.”
Dante stared at her for a moment. Then he cupped her serious expression in his hands and kissed her. He gathered her close, running his fingers through her hair.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll both be just fine.”
***
Dante was so relieved when they returned from grocery shopping he let out an audible sigh as they walked up to the front door of the house. Laurie chuckled at him.
“I hope this means you can relax a little.” She started putting away the food. “You were looking over your shoulder so much, I thought your head might start spinning.”
Dante grinned into the refrigerator, as he stacked two cartons of eggs on top of one another.
“I haven’t been able to relax since the moment I laid eyes on you. You’ve made my job nothing except difficult.”
“Me?” Laurie waved the lettuce at him. “I haven’t done anything.”
Dante snorted.
“Do you honestly expect anyone to believe that? You have trouble written all over you in capital letters.” He turned to her with a smirk.
Laurie closed the couple of steps between them with a slow stride. She got as close to Dante as possible without touching him. She turned her face up to him, and gave him a seductive half-smile. God, she knew how to make a man burn for her.
“Well, if you don’t like it, Mr. Stark, then why don’t you leave?”
“Can’t do that, ma’am. I have to protect you.” He placed his hands on either side of her waist.
“Hmmmm. Who’s supposed to protect me from you?” She locked her hands around his neck.
“I wish I knew.”
He brushed his lips against hers. Then he licked at her lower lip.
Now that his desire for Laurie had been unleashed, Dante knew he wouldn’t be able to contain it again. Even though he knew what he risked to have her, there was something about her that compelled him against reason. He simply lost all sense of direction when he looked at her. He bent his head and caressed her lips with his again, because it was the only thing he could think about. Laurie sighed and broke away from him with a smile of apology so they could finish putting everything away.
Laurie took Dante’s hand and led him into the bedroom. Laurie kissed him and they sat down on the rumpled blue bedspread, holding one another.
Just as he took hold of one plump breast, a car door slammed outside the house. He lifted Laurie in his arms, carrying her to the closet. He set her on her feet with rough, hurried hands.
“Stay here until I come and get you. Go in the safe room if I call out. Don’t move from this spot.”
Dante took out his gun and left her, fear twisting his heart. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he moved toward the front of the house. He could hear footsteps approaching. He checked out the living room window and saw two familiar faces.